Skills and Environment

Another Quick Reference Study Guide By Zane Bilgrav

How AWARE Are You?

Emergency Swimming Ascent: Attempted in relatively shallow water (less than 35 ft.). Most important
to maintain a neutral lung volume (aaah/hum sound) on the way up.
Emergency Buoyant Ascent: From deeper water (greater than 35 ft.), with weights dropped.
Buoyancy: With all equipment in place and a neutral long volume, the diver should float at eye level.
Since tanks are 3-5 lbs less buoyant when empty, a second buoyancy check may be necessary at the end
of the dive.
Search and Recovery Diving: Need to efficiently locate the object and safely bring it to the surface.
• Arm spans are more accurate than kick cycles.
• Kick cycles or measured lines may be appropriate for large search patterns.
• If an object weighs more than 10-15 lbs. a lift bag should be used – not your BC.
• Fill the lift bag with an air source other than the one in a diver’s mouth.
Night Diving: Each diver should have 3 lights – a primary, backup, and glow light. Interestingly, PADI
standards require only a primary light for night diving students.
Altitude Diving: Anything over 1,000 ft. (but less than 10,000 ft.!) requires the use of special tables, or
altitude compensating depth gauges or computers.

First Aid for Pressure Related Injuries:

Give O2 – life flat (left-side down is optional) – Contact EMS /911 – Transport.
It does not matter what type of pressure related injury it is, as the treatment is the same.
CPR – 2 breaths/30 compressions at a rate of @ 100/minute – depth 1.5-2 inches for adults.
Near Drowning: Someone who has drowned, and then is revived, may feel fine. They need to go to the
hospital as surfactant which is a lubricating fluid surrounding the alveoli might have been washed away
by inhaled water. This will cause the alveoli to later collapse perhaps resulting in delayed suffocation.
Aquatic Life Injuries: In the case of marine envenomation (stink ray, scorpion fish, etc.) soak the
affected area in hot (not scalding) water for 30+ minutes. This will break down the poison.
Jelly fish, corals, and man-of-war all have stinking cells called nematocysts. Remove tentacles and
apply a poultice of vinegar and meat tenderizer (papayan).

Tides: Caused by the gravitational attraction of the sun/moon and the centrifugal force of the earth/moon
system.
• High slack tide is generally the clearest water with low currents – best diving.
Currents
Major Ocean Currents: Caused by the wind movement of warmer tropical air and colder
temperate air (unequal heating). Major ocean currents tend to follow major winds – such as trade winds.
Long Shore Currents: Generated by waves hitting the shore at an angle or by movement of
semi-permanent currents along the shore.
Rip Currents: Caused by surf rushing in over shallow areas and being funneled out through a
deeper channel.
Coriollis Affect: Drives major ocean currents in a clockwise (northern hemisphere) or counter-
clockwise (southern hemisphere) direction.
S.A.F.E: Slow Ascend From Every Dive and do a safety stop to control buoyancy and release some
nitrogen.
Project Aware:
Secure dangling equipment Passively interact with marine live
Watch hands and feet Control buoyancy