What: A school of Heller's Barracuda (Sphyraena helleri)
Where: I took this photo off the coast of Puako, Hawaii.
Where: I took this photo off the coast of Puako, Hawaii.
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[Click on the photo to enlarge.]
Air Sharing Pointers for Divers
by B. N. Sullivan
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Basic diver certification courses all include instruction on air sharing. (For our non-diving readers, 'air-sharing' refers to more than one diver using the same air source.) This is a very basic and essential skill, and these days it is also quite easy, in principle.
Back in the day when I first learned to dive, SCUBA regulators only had one second stage, i.e., the part of the regulator that includes the mouthpiece. In order to share air, one diver had to take the regulator out of his/her mouth and hand it to the other diver. The second diver would take a breath or two, and then pass the regulator mouthpiece back to the first diver. This alternating pattern would continue until the divers could surface. The procedure worked, of course, but it could be quite awkward. Also, since neither diver could breathe continuously, both divers could end up experiencing considerable anxiety.
These days, most divers use regulators that have two second stages, each attached to its own low-pressure port on the regulator's first stage, i.e., the part that connects to the valve of the air cylinder. Look at the photo of our friend Dan on this page. You can see that his regulator has two second stages. The hose of the primary one passes over his right shoulder, and he is breathing through the mouthpiece. The hose of the secondary one passes under his arm, with the mouthpiece attached to his vest with a quick-release clip. This is a standard sport diving configuration.
In a popular alternative configuration, the inflator hose for the diver's buoyancy compensator has a mouthpiece on it so that it can double as a breathing device.
The advantage of using regulators with two second stages should be obvious: two divers can share the same air source simultaneously and continuously, without the need to pass the mouthpiece back and forth between them. This makes air sharing much easier, and is less anxiety-producing.
Divers are taught how to signal to each other that they need to share air, and the procedure of handing off the secondary regulator to the diver in need of air is practiced during training. They are taught that as soon as air sharing begins, the divers should begin their ascent together.
I take issue with this aspect of diver training. It seems to assume that the divers are right underneath their boat, or near to their exit point if they are shore diving. In real life, things are not often so tidy.
What happens if the divers are a good ten minute (or longer) swim away from their boat or exit point? What if they are near the deepest point of a deep dive? What if it is not prudent to surface immediately because of some other hazard -- e.g., boat traffic, or a strong surface current.
Over the years we have been in a few situations when we had to share air, and we have witnessed many other divers in such situations. Rarely, if ever, have these events happened right under a boat or very near to our exit point. Divers need to understand this and prepare for it, or they may find themselves in deep trouble (pun pointedly intended).
If the diver always stays very near to the boat or exit point, and doesn't go very deep, air sharing using the procedure taught in initial training, which I described above, probably will be sufficient. Otherwise, divers need to plan for -- and practice -- sharing air during a long swim, and during an ascent that may have to include a five minute 'safety stop' at 5 meters.
In order to facilitate swimming a longer distance while sharing air, one of the regulator's second stages should have a long hose. When divers are sharing air via a regulator with a 'standard' hose length of, say, 27 inches, they necessarily have to be very close to each other. It's difficult to swim while physically close to another diver, but that is what's required when both are sharing air and both are attached to the same air cylinder by relatively short hoses. It is much better to have a much longer hose on one of the second stages -- say 40 inches or even longer.
Won't a longer hose be a nuisance when not sharing air? Not really. You can do what cave divers do: bundle it and secure the bundle with a bungee cord. Alternatively, you can feed the longer hose under your right arm and across your front, securing the mouthpiece somewhere on the left side of your gear, instead of the right side where most divers stow their secondary reg mouthpiece. (Just be sure you show your buddy where it is before you begin the dive!)
By the way, if you do need to share air from a regulator using two shorter hoses, and you have to swim any distance, we figured out that it is easier to swim with one diver positioned above and a little behind the diver with the air supply. Imagine that the diver with the air source is going to give the air-sharing diver a piggy-back ride -- except the two divers swim, one a bit above the other. The 'top' diver can hold on lightly to the other diver's shoulder to maintain position and stay in place.
Now, a final note, but a very important one: practice. Practice air sharing while swimming longer distances. Practice air sharing while hovering at a depth of five meters as you would for a safety stop. (This is much easier to do if you have a regular dive partner, but even if you don't, get someone to practice with you from time to time.)
Ever since we began diving together, we have occasionaly practiced swimming at least ten minutes while sharing air. We also have practiced sharing air while hovering in place for a safety stop. We have done this exercise three or four times a year. Then one day, while we were more than a 10 minute swim from our exit point, and at a depth of about 120 feet (37 meters), a high pressure hose on my regulator popped. Oh the bubbly froth that instantly ensued! But there was no panic. Jerry passed his secondary reg mouthpiece to me right away, and turned off the valve on my air cylinder. The two of us set off toward our exit point, swimming easily together -- side by side, but with enough space between us that it was not at all awkward or cumbersome, thanks to a longer-than-standard hose length on Jerry's secondary reg. We even did a five minute safety stop before surfacing. Our practicing had served us well.
BNSullivan.jpg)
Basic diver certification courses all include instruction on air sharing. (For our non-diving readers, 'air-sharing' refers to more than one diver using the same air source.) This is a very basic and essential skill, and these days it is also quite easy, in principle.Back in the day when I first learned to dive, SCUBA regulators only had one second stage, i.e., the part of the regulator that includes the mouthpiece. In order to share air, one diver had to take the regulator out of his/her mouth and hand it to the other diver. The second diver would take a breath or two, and then pass the regulator mouthpiece back to the first diver. This alternating pattern would continue until the divers could surface. The procedure worked, of course, but it could be quite awkward. Also, since neither diver could breathe continuously, both divers could end up experiencing considerable anxiety.
These days, most divers use regulators that have two second stages, each attached to its own low-pressure port on the regulator's first stage, i.e., the part that connects to the valve of the air cylinder. Look at the photo of our friend Dan on this page. You can see that his regulator has two second stages. The hose of the primary one passes over his right shoulder, and he is breathing through the mouthpiece. The hose of the secondary one passes under his arm, with the mouthpiece attached to his vest with a quick-release clip. This is a standard sport diving configuration.
In a popular alternative configuration, the inflator hose for the diver's buoyancy compensator has a mouthpiece on it so that it can double as a breathing device.
The advantage of using regulators with two second stages should be obvious: two divers can share the same air source simultaneously and continuously, without the need to pass the mouthpiece back and forth between them. This makes air sharing much easier, and is less anxiety-producing.
Divers are taught how to signal to each other that they need to share air, and the procedure of handing off the secondary regulator to the diver in need of air is practiced during training. They are taught that as soon as air sharing begins, the divers should begin their ascent together.
I take issue with this aspect of diver training. It seems to assume that the divers are right underneath their boat, or near to their exit point if they are shore diving. In real life, things are not often so tidy.
What happens if the divers are a good ten minute (or longer) swim away from their boat or exit point? What if they are near the deepest point of a deep dive? What if it is not prudent to surface immediately because of some other hazard -- e.g., boat traffic, or a strong surface current.
Over the years we have been in a few situations when we had to share air, and we have witnessed many other divers in such situations. Rarely, if ever, have these events happened right under a boat or very near to our exit point. Divers need to understand this and prepare for it, or they may find themselves in deep trouble (pun pointedly intended).
If the diver always stays very near to the boat or exit point, and doesn't go very deep, air sharing using the procedure taught in initial training, which I described above, probably will be sufficient. Otherwise, divers need to plan for -- and practice -- sharing air during a long swim, and during an ascent that may have to include a five minute 'safety stop' at 5 meters.
In order to facilitate swimming a longer distance while sharing air, one of the regulator's second stages should have a long hose. When divers are sharing air via a regulator with a 'standard' hose length of, say, 27 inches, they necessarily have to be very close to each other. It's difficult to swim while physically close to another diver, but that is what's required when both are sharing air and both are attached to the same air cylinder by relatively short hoses. It is much better to have a much longer hose on one of the second stages -- say 40 inches or even longer.
Won't a longer hose be a nuisance when not sharing air? Not really. You can do what cave divers do: bundle it and secure the bundle with a bungee cord. Alternatively, you can feed the longer hose under your right arm and across your front, securing the mouthpiece somewhere on the left side of your gear, instead of the right side where most divers stow their secondary reg mouthpiece. (Just be sure you show your buddy where it is before you begin the dive!)
By the way, if you do need to share air from a regulator using two shorter hoses, and you have to swim any distance, we figured out that it is easier to swim with one diver positioned above and a little behind the diver with the air supply. Imagine that the diver with the air source is going to give the air-sharing diver a piggy-back ride -- except the two divers swim, one a bit above the other. The 'top' diver can hold on lightly to the other diver's shoulder to maintain position and stay in place.
Now, a final note, but a very important one: practice. Practice air sharing while swimming longer distances. Practice air sharing while hovering at a depth of five meters as you would for a safety stop. (This is much easier to do if you have a regular dive partner, but even if you don't, get someone to practice with you from time to time.)
Ever since we began diving together, we have occasionaly practiced swimming at least ten minutes while sharing air. We also have practiced sharing air while hovering in place for a safety stop. We have done this exercise three or four times a year. Then one day, while we were more than a 10 minute swim from our exit point, and at a depth of about 120 feet (37 meters), a high pressure hose on my regulator popped. Oh the bubbly froth that instantly ensued! But there was no panic. Jerry passed his secondary reg mouthpiece to me right away, and turned off the valve on my air cylinder. The two of us set off toward our exit point, swimming easily together -- side by side, but with enough space between us that it was not at all awkward or cumbersome, thanks to a longer-than-standard hose length on Jerry's secondary reg. We even did a five minute safety stop before surfacing. Our practicing had served us well.
Yellowbar Angelfish (Pomacanthus maculosus)
What: Yellowbar Angelifish (Pomacanthus maculosus)
Legend says that the yellow patch on this fish depicts a map of Africa.
Where: I took this photo in the Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt.
Legend says that the yellow patch on this fish depicts a map of Africa.
Where: I took this photo in the Red Sea near Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt.
BNSullivan.jpg)
[Click on the photo to enlarge]
Close-up of a Little Lionfish with a Big Eye
What: Hawaiian Lionfish (Dendrochirus barberi), a Hawaiian endemic species.
Sometimes called the Green Lionfish -- it looks green in natural light,
but when the camera strobe flashes, we discover that it actually is red!
Where: I took this photo at Puako, Hawaii.
Sometimes called the Green Lionfish -- it looks green in natural light,
but when the camera strobe flashes, we discover that it actually is red!
Where: I took this photo at Puako, Hawaii.
BNSullivan.jpg)
[Click on the photo to enlarge.]
Sharks in The Right Blue
BNSullivan.jpg "Whitetip Reef Shark (Triaenodon obesus)")
Judging from our traffic statistics, a lot of people look on the worldwide web for information about sharks and photos of these predator fish. The word 'shark' and phrases containing that word always are among the top keywords that bring search traffic to The Right Blue, month after month.Here is a directory of articles about sharks in The Right Blue:
- Have you seen any sharks? - August 10, 2007
- Have you ever seen a pregnant shark? - January 8, 2015
- On a collision course with critters in the sea - June 9, 2008
- Tiger Sharks Don't Floss - August 8, 2008
- The Day We Met the Landlord - August 9, 2008
- In case of shark attack... [Humor] - August 12, 2008
- On Sharks, Spearfishing, and Senseless Killing - January 18, 2009
- Whale Sharks: The biggest fishes in the ocean [with video] - February 26, 2010
- Whale Shark excitement on the Kona Coast [with video] - March 4, 2010
Here is a directory of shark photos in The Right Blue:
- Tiger Shark (Galeocerdo cuvier), swimming just below the surface of the water
- Pregnant Whitetip Reef Shark (Triaenodon obesus), two sharks: one pregnant and one not! - Celebes Sea: Pulau Sipadan
- Juvenile Whitetip Reef Shark (Triaenodon obesus), hiding under coral - Red Sea: Abu Kifan Reef
- Whitetip Reef Shark (Triaenodon obesus), resting on a reef slope - Celebes Sea: Pulau Sipadan
- Whitetip Reef Shark (Triaenodon obesus), swimming - Celebes Sea: Pulau Sipadan
- Whitetip Reef Shark (Triaenodon obesus), looking for lunch - Celebes Sea: Bunaken Island
- Whitetip Reef Shark (Triaenodon obesus), sneaking up behind an underwater photographer - Celebes Sea: Pulau Sipadan
Shark videos on The Right Blue:
- Whale Sharks (Rhincodon typus), with divers at Christmas Island, Indian Ocean
- Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus), with snorkelers on the Kona Coast of Hawaii
To Friends of 'The Right Blue' -- Thank You!
From time to time, one of our readers writes about one of our articles or photos and links to The Right Blue. Some of our fellow bloggers have given awards to The Right Blue. We list all of these on our blogroll page, but we admit we're not very good about passing them along.Today we would like to acknowledge and thank those who have given us recognition in the past few months, including (in chronological order):
- Gabriel at Live from Waterloo
- Lavender Bay at Voice of the Turtle
- 2SWEETNSAXY at Eyes Mind Heart (who gave us two awards!)
- Antigoni at Antigoni's Diary
- Chris at A Free Man
- Pua and Keoki at Best Hawaii Vacation Blog
- Sheila at Go Visit Hawaii
In addition, we'd like to recognize artist Carol Cooper who wrote a thoughtful piece on her blog, Compass WebWorks, about how photographers help all of us to see things in the world that we might otherwise not see, except Through Their Eyes. To illustrate her point, Carol used a macro photo of Bubble Coral, by Bobbie.And then there is ZJ, who writes The Sreisaat Adventures in Cambodia. ZJ and Bobbie are both regular Wordless Wednesday participants and have been visiting each other's blogs for at least a year now. Imagine what a surprise it was to visit her blog this past Wednesday to see that she had posted a photo she took of a shark, and had titled that post Emulating Bobbie! What a wonderful compliment!
We thank these blogger friends for thinking of us in such a positive way and expressing it. We also would like to thank all of our subscribers and regular readers, especially those who participate interactively with us by asking questions and leaving comments. Included in that group are the many participants in the Wordless Wednesday and Watery Wednesday photo memes who stop by each week.Special thanks goes to those who have submitted various pages on The Right Blue to StumbleUpon and Digg.
You are all 'true blue' Friends of The Right Blue!
So, we decided to give all of you our own Friend of The Right Blue award. If you like, you can put a Friend of The Right Blue badge on your blog's awards page or sidebar [we've made three different sizes], but regardless, please know that we appreciate all of you very much. We enjoy your virtual companionship, and we are grateful for your friendship and support. Thank you all so much!
Juvenile Shark in the Red Sea
What: Juvenile Whitetip Reef Shark (Triaenodon obesus).
Where: I took this photo at Abu Kifan reef, near Safaga, Egypt.
Where: I took this photo at Abu Kifan reef, near Safaga, Egypt.
BNSullivan.jpg)
[Click on the photo to enlarge.]
Napoleon Wrasse: The Video
Last month we did several posts about a big fish called the Napoleon Wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus). One was a story about some encounters with the Napoleon Wrasse, and the other two were photo posts: here, and here.
I came across a video on YouTube that shows a Napoleon Wrasse in the Red Sea. According to the videographer, it was shot just a few miles away from where I photographed the Napoleons.
Notice the 'ball-turret' eyeballs that I described in our encounter post. Two other things of note: at about 55 seconds into the video, note that a Remora (a.k.a. 'shark-sucker') appears and attaches itself to the Napoleon's underbelly where it remains for the rest of the video; and beginning at about 1:53, there is a patch of fire coral visible in the left foreground the the video frame. (Long-time readers will recall that we discussed fire coral about a year ago on The Right Blue, and followed up with a photo of the most typical Red Sea fire coral, the same species seen in the video.)
Here's the video. [Tip: Turn off your sound if you don't like Frank Sinatra!]
If the video does not play or display properly above, click here to view it on YouTube.
Tip of the hat to frostcl for posting this video of the Napoleon Wrasse on YouTube for all of us to enjoy.
I came across a video on YouTube that shows a Napoleon Wrasse in the Red Sea. According to the videographer, it was shot just a few miles away from where I photographed the Napoleons.
Notice the 'ball-turret' eyeballs that I described in our encounter post. Two other things of note: at about 55 seconds into the video, note that a Remora (a.k.a. 'shark-sucker') appears and attaches itself to the Napoleon's underbelly where it remains for the rest of the video; and beginning at about 1:53, there is a patch of fire coral visible in the left foreground the the video frame. (Long-time readers will recall that we discussed fire coral about a year ago on The Right Blue, and followed up with a photo of the most typical Red Sea fire coral, the same species seen in the video.)
Here's the video. [Tip: Turn off your sound if you don't like Frank Sinatra!]
If the video does not play or display properly above, click here to view it on YouTube.
Tip of the hat to frostcl for posting this video of the Napoleon Wrasse on YouTube for all of us to enjoy.
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