Posted on Sep 22, 2008 under scuba wetsuits |
Scuba wetsuits are worn by scuba divers to keep themselves warm when they are in cold water. They also protect the diver from sun exposure, jellyfish attacks and coral. They can also be worn by snorkelers and windsurfers.
Wetsuits trap a thin layer of water between the skin and the rubber of the wetsuit. Your body heats this water which insulates you against the cold and helps your body retain its heat.
To work efficiently and provide good thermal protection a wetsuit must hug the body forming an all over seal, particularly on the torso. It should be a comfortable and snug fit and not sag when worn. Water will escape from between the suit and the body if the wetsuit is too loose a fit, taking the bodys heat with it. Water retention is aided by the flexible seals at the suit cuffs.
Modern wetsuits are mainly made from thin neoprene, a stretchy synthetic rubber that is extremely durable, or a combination of neoprene and lycra. These are measured for the conditions by their thickness, basically the colder the water the thicker the neoprene required. Scuba wetsuits made of dense neoprene offer great warmth and protection. Neoprene comes in different thicknesses, from 2 mm to 6 mm.
A thicker cold water wetsuit will be required if you are diving in particularly cold diving spots, or if you are descending to a depth of 30 feet at least. The trade-off in terms of restricted mobility and better insulation was in the past a major consideration to the wearing of thick wetsuits. However, thanks to modern technology, wetsuits designed with a higher torso thickness are now just as flexible as wetsuits designed with lower torso thicknesses.
The choice of wetsuit you make can affect not only your recreation, but also your life. A diver has to be very discriminating as to the quality and material that goes into the manufacture of a wetsuit. You just can’t afford to take any chances with poor quality ill fitting scuba wetsuits.
Technorati Tags: scuba wetsuits
Posted on Sep 12, 2009 under Scuba Diving |
St Lucia is a beautiful Caribbean island known not only for its beautiful white beaches, hot sun and idealistic setting in sparkling blue ocean, but also for the amazing scuba diving adventure to be be found there. The island of St Lucia has flourished economically in recent years, allowing it to form a booming tourist trade, much of which is based around providing first rate scuba diving trips. As a result a large amount of dive centers and dive shops have opened all over the island, isn’t it neat that there are many diving facilities that any diver could possibly want. There are also ten different dive operators doing business on the island and 23 favorite dive sites to choose from.
One of the most popular diving sites around St Lucia is Anse Chastanet. This dive can be accessed directly from the beach, and has a sudden steep coral wall unlike any other in the world. The coral is a bright, vivid red and the wall continues around much of the island. Also on this dive, locals will insistently tell you of St Lucia’s equivalent of the Loch Ness Monster; a mysterious creature known only as the Thing. Although it is reputed to only be seen at night by all of the dive guides that refer to it, whether or not this local legend is true, there are frequent reports of sightings of this creature from locals and tourists alike.
Along the Anse Chastanet route there is another well known scuba diving area named Fairy Land. Its name is due to the strong current that flows through it, washing the coral and removing debris that decreases visibility in the water such as dirt and algae. If you have an interest in underwater photography, this is a georgeous spot and this gives a bright open appearance with clear water.
For those who would like to try wreck diving in St Lucia, there are the sunken remains of the Lesleen M. The Lesleen M is a freighter that was sunk in 1986 by the Department of Fisheries to form an artificial reef. It is 165 feet long and is in superb condition, allowing it to be discovered in its entirety. It is home for much of the exotic marine life that lives around the island and it is highly recommended if you want to view marine biology at its best.
There are a great number of St Lucia resorts to choose from, for those who wish to go to St Lucia for its diving adventure, and many of these are aimed specifically at divers, making it very easy to gain access to good quality diving facilities. Its great Caribbean setting and wonderful variety of different scuba diving sites available make St Lucia a place highly recommended as one of the best Caribbean diving locations there is.
Technorati Tags: Dive Sites, Scuba Diving, St Lucia Island, underwater, Wreck diving