In order to encourage the growth of the sport and to change existing misconceptions surrounding scuba diving, it's availability and safety; we thought that we would highlight some facts about scuba diving. If you're a newbie to the diving community or looking to dip your fins in then read on for some myth dispelling scuba diving facts.
1. You don’t have to be a good swimmer to dive
Good news, you don't have to be a keen swimmer to learn to dive. In fact, you don't even have to have a decent front crawl (as you don't swim underwater like you would at the surface). Of course, it's helpful if you can, but your diving abilities won't necessarily be related to your swimming abilities. While diving, arms are useless, and the only propulsion comes from the legs, so a gentle kick with the fins is more than enough, and you don't need to be an Olympic swimmer to do so.
2. Aquatic life is perfectly safe
For many people sharks are the reason to stay on dry land. I hope this is no longer the case (read our blog on Dispelling the Myths of Scuba Diving for more reassurance), but I hear you saying 'Yeah, and what about moray eels, fire coral or jelly fish?' There are two main rules in scuba diving. The first one is 'never hold your breath,' and the second involves the three T's: 'do not Touch, Take, or Tease. If you follow those rules you'll be absolutely fine (unless you are diving with piranhas, which is unlikely!). There are two fish that can still be aggressive even if you follow the Three Ts rule: the trigger fish and the clownfish (yes, Nemo is not such a cute little fish after all), both are extremely territorial and would protect their eggs if you get too close, no matter what size you are (which is actually quite admirable given the fact that a clown fish is only a couple of centimetres long). However, as rare as it might be, if you ever find yourself threatened by a trigger fish, the best thing to do is swim away, always keeping an eye on it and never swim towards the surface as its territory has the shape of a cone, starting from the bottom all the way up to the surface.
3. Nitrogen narcosis is not dangerous in itself
It consequences could be dangerous if not taken seriously. Let us explain a little bit more about it. Little is known about nitrogen narcosis, but what is certain is that at a particular depth (it can start at 30m), nitrogen becomes toxic to us. To keep things simple, our neurons are formed of axons which are there to send information to our brain via electrical impulses. These axons are made of fat, and nitrogen loves fat, so some of this nitrogen stays on the axons, thus slowing down the entire process of information delivery. Some people are more prone to narcosis than others and it seems like stress is another important factor. The diving conditions can trigger narcosis too, including temperature, visibility and current. As a novice diver you won't be able to recognise the symptoms, and that is when it becomes dangerous, as it has an effect on behaviour. We've seen people sharing their air with fish or staring at a rock with nothing on it. But don't worry, the more experienced you get, the later narcosis occurs and you'll also be able to recognise the symptoms. Your instructor or dive master will be on the lookout for the tell-tale signs and will know what to do, which is to come up a little bit for the effect to disappear. Simple.
